Planning commission recommends approval of Due West rezoning, preserves long‑standing Farmer John's produce stand

Aug. 5 — The county Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of rezoning case Z14 of 2025, allowing a nearly 4‑acre parcel on Due West Road to change from GC and NS to NRC (neighborhood retail and contractor office), while preserving the longtime Farmer John's produce stand on the site.

The recommendation, which the commission approved 5‑0, follows a staff recommendation of approval and a community meeting in which neighbors asked that the existing produce stand remain. The decision sends the case to the Board of Commissioners as part of the consent agenda.

The property is on the northeast side of D West Road near Burnt Hickory Road. Applicant representatives described the site as part of a neighborhood activity center under the county land‑use plan and said proposed uses — a single‑tenant 5,000‑square‑foot butcher shop and a lower‑intensity office/shop building with storage — are intended to serve the surrounding community. The Farmer John's building, the applicant said, was built around 1950 and the current tenant operates a produce/vegetable stand that the applicant expects to remain.

Planning staff recommended approval subject to final site plan review. The applicant submitted revised plans after a community meeting and provided architectural renderings to show the visual character of the proposed buildings.

Commissioners adopted several stipulations before recommending approval. Key modifications recorded at the hearing include: - If Farmer John's discontinues operation as a farmers market for more than 30 continuous days, the building must be brought up to the then‑current certificate of occupancy standards within a 120‑day period; a major renovation or rebuild must be consistent with the approved architectural themes. - Outdoor display of seasonal produce and related items (for example, pumpkins or Christmas trees) is allowed while Farmer John's remains a produce stand; otherwise, outdoor storage is prohibited. - Architectural design of all buildings, including doors at the Farmer John's building, is to be approved by the District Commissioner; office and retail buildings must share a consistent architectural theme substantially as presented to the Planning Commission on Aug. 5, 2025. - An enhanced landscape buffer of 30 feet is required along the northeast property boundary (stated as an increase from a previously quoted 20‑foot buffer). - An overhead door on the office/shop building is limited to 14 feet in height, must be located on the northwest side, and is to include architectural detail approved by the District Commissioner; the side entry is not to be used as a loading dock.

Applicant counsel Parks Huff told the commission the revised site plan maintains the Farmer John's footprint and that the tenant wants to remain. Staff and the applicant said keeping Farmer John's on site reduces overall traffic compared with the originally proposed site plan.

The commission's recommendation was moved and read into the record with the enumerated stipulations; the motion included placing the rezoning on the Board of Commissioners' consent agenda. The commission voted to recommend approval and to forward the case to the board for final action.

If the Board of Commissioners adopts the rezoning as recommended, subsequent steps will include final site plan review and any building permits required to implement the approved architecture and site work.